Please don't fry me for posting this from another site ... its only cause i want to help...
There is very little mystery about how a pimple is created. It starts with some amount of oil being produced in the pore. The oil cannot get out of the pore in an even flow. The backed up oil and a buildup of dead skin cells creates a clogged pore. For a clogged pore to become a pimple, bacteria (typically propiobacterium) gets in the pore, lives on the oil, multiplies, and as a result the skin becomes inflamed. The inflammation and bacteria proliferation results in a pimple.
The skin-care steps listed below are the best options for absorbing oil, improving exfoliation within the pore and disinfecting the skin. Finding the combination that works for you is the goal, and that takes experimentation. However, you must address all of the issues—just using a disinfectant, an exfoliant, or an oil-absorbing mask won't cut it. It's the combination of treatments that produces the desired results.
To find the right combination of products that work for you, experiment with one or more of the various components. For example, if you choose Plan A but find baking soda is not effective, switch to another option for exfoliating, such as a beta hydroxy acid. If you decide to try Plan C but find Retin-A too irritating, switch to a different prescription exfoliant, such as Differin or Azelex (azelaic acid). The most important thing is consistency. It takes three to six weeks to see a consistent improvement in your skin (that is about the life cycle of a pimple). Remember, spot treatment doesn't work.
If irritation occurs, you may need to cut back on the exfoliant, disinfectant, and/or facial mask you use. It doesn't mean the skin-care routine isn't working or won't eventually work for you, but perhaps your skin can't handle the frequency of application, at least not in the beginning.
Skin-Care Steps
CLEANING THE FACE: Using a water-soluble cleanser such as Cetaphil Gentle Cleanser, Alpha Hydrox Cleanser, Olay Foaming Cleanser for Sensitive Skin, Pond's Foaming Cleanser and Toner in One, Paula's Choice One-Step Face Cleanser, or Paula's Choice Skin Balancing Cleanser is fundamental. Using drying or irritating skin-care products hurt the skin's healing process, make scarring worse and encourage the bacteria that cause pimples. Using cleansers that contain pore-clogging ingredients (like soaps or bar cleansers) can make matters worse.
If you are using an ultra-matte finish foundation or a cream-to-powder foundation, you may need to use a washcloth to be sure you are removing all of your makeup off every night. To prevent bacteria growth, use a clean washcloth every time you wash your face.
EXFOLIATING: Using an 8% alpha hydroxy acid (AHA) product or a 1% to 2% beta hydroxy acid (BHA) product is a crucial starting point for exfoliating the skin. I recommend using AHAs or BHA in gel, liquid, or thin lotion form, because they are less likely to contain emollients that can clog pores. For all forms of breakouts, BHA is preferred over AHA because BHA is better at at cutting through the oil inside the pore.
If you are seeing a physician, he or she may recommend a prescription treatment like as Retin-A, Differin, or Azelex (contains azelaic acid, which is not a retinoid but more like an AHA with some antimicrobial activity that is prescription only). If you use both a retinoid and an AHA or BHA, you can use the AHA or BHA during the day and the Retin-A, Differin, or Azelex at night. Some dermatologists recommend applying the AHA or BHA first and then applying Retin-A, Differin, or Azelex directly over top. The thought is that the AHA or BHA boosts the effectiveness by increasing penetration of the other products. Again, experiment to see what works best for your skin.
Also, don't forget that baking soda can be used as a mechanical exfoliant. It's not as effective as AHAs, BHA, Retin-A, Differin, or Azelex, but many people still find it an option for removing dead skin cells. Wet your face and mix a small amount of baking soda (about the size of a dime) with your cleanser. Gently apply the cleanser to your face in a circular fashion, being careful not to over-scrub. Then rinse your face as usual.
TOPICAL DISINFECTING: There aren't many options when it comes to disinfecting the skin. Alcohol and sulfur can be good disinfectants, but they are also too drying and irritating. Plant-derived disinfectants such as tea tree oil (melaleuca) are not typically present in high enough concentrations to reliably kill bacteria.
Benzoyl peroxide is considered the most effective over-the-counter choice for topical disinfecting in the treatment of blemishes (Source: Skin Pharmacology and Applied Skin Physiology, September-October 2000, pages 292–296). The amount of research demonstrating the effectiveness of benzoyl peroxide is exhaustive and conclusive (Source: Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, November 1999, pages 710–716). Among benzoyl peroxide's attributes is its ability to penetrate into the hair follicle to reach the problem-causing bacteria and kill it—with a low risk of irritation. Furthermore, it doesn't pose the problem of bacterial resistance that some prescription topical antibacterials (antibiotics) do (Source: Dermatology, 1998, volume 196, issue 1, pages 119–125).
However, some things go hand in hand: bread and butter, love and marriage, Laurel and Hardy. This is true for exfoliants and topical antibacterial agents when it comes to reducing and eliminating blemishes. Cleaning the skin without both exfoliating and disinfecting is less likely to have an impact on skin. You can get fairly good results using one or the other, but together they are a formidable defense against blemishes.
Note: Benzoyl peroxide negates the effectiveness of retinoids (i.e., Retin-A, Tazorac) and therefore cannot be used at the same time. To get both benefits, you can use benzoyl peroxide in the morning and the retinoid in the evening. The exception is with Differin. The active ingredient in Differin, adapalene, has been shown to remain stable and effective when used with benzoyl peroxide (Source: British Journal of Dermatology, Oct. 1998, page 139).
HYDROGEN PEROXIDE: Given what is now known about free-radical damage, I no longer recommend hydrogen peroxide as a topical disinfectant for acne. Oxygen is clearly a problem for skin, and hydrogen peroxide is a significant oxidizing agent. The way hydrogen peroxide works is by releasing an unstable oxygen molecule onto the skin, and that generates free-radical damage. The extra oxygen molecule that makes up hydrogen peroxide is extremely unstable. That's why hydrogen peroxide is packaged in a dark brown, airtight container. On exposure to air, hydrogen peroxide's extra oxygen molecule is released and the product becomes plain water. For skin prone to acne this extra oxygen molecule is capable of killing the bacteria that cause blemishes. Acne bacteria are anaerobic, meaning they don't like oxygen. But because of the problems that stem from impacting the skin with a substance that is known to generate free-radical damage, other options need to be sought.
TEA TREE OIL: Tea tree oil has some interesting research showing it to be an effective antimicrobial agent. However, the crux of the matter is: How much tea tree oil needed to have an effect? The Medical Journal of Australia (October 1990, pages 455–458) compared the efficacy of tea tree oil to that of benzoyl peroxide for the treatment of acne. 119 patients were studied, with 61 using a 5% benzoyl peroxide lotion and 58 using 5% tea tree oil in a gel base. The conclusion was that “both treatments were effective in reducing the number of inflamed lesions throughout the trial, with a significantly better result for benzoyl peroxide when compared to the tea tree oil. Skin oiliness was lessened significantly in the benzoyl peroxide group versus the tea tree oil group.” Yet, while the reduction of breakouts was greater for the benzoyl peroxide group, the side effects of dryness, stinging, and burning were also greater—“79% of the benzoyl peroxide group versus 49% of the tea tree oil group.”
Given these results, a 2.5% strength benzoyl peroxide solution is a better choice to begin with, rather than the more potent and somewhat more irritating 5% or 10% concentrations. Regarding tea tree oil, unfortunately, it appears that most products on the market contain little more than a 1% concentration, not the 5% strength used in the study.
ABSORBING EXCESS OIL: While most people think clay masks are the only way to absorb excess oil on the skin, these are not the only, nor the best choices. I would start with milk of magnesia first. Milk of Magnesia is nothing more than liquid magnesium hydroxide, which is known to soothe skin and reduce irritation, and it has incredible oil-absorbing properties. Magnesium absorbs more oil than clay, and clay has no disinfecting or soothing properties. How often you use milk of magnesia depends on how oily your skin is.
